Officials react to latest ruling affecting DCC

Thursday

Dec 13, 2012 at 11:07 AMDec 13, 2012 at 11:09 AM

Cynthia Grau

Many area officials and union leaders are reeling in the wake of the order to end legal action that has been blocking Gov. Pat Quinn from closing state prisons, which was decided in a split decision Tuesday.Quinn had been fighting a preliminary injunction that had been granted to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the union that many prison employees belong to, and the new ruling now means that the governor may proceed in shuttering Dwight Correctional Center and six other facilities, including the supermax at Tamms, two juvenile facilities and half way houses.The governor did state Wednesday that he will let the proper legal process play out before he closes state prisons.The Illinois Supreme Court says a lower court must lift an order granted to a state workers' union. The order allowed the facilities to remain open.Quinn said at a press conference Wednesday the ruling clears the way for him to close the facilities.The governor says the facilities are at least half empty and the money to operate them would be better spent by the Department of Children and Family Services.Quinn said workers at the facilities will be offered other state jobs.Union officials say closing the prisons will worsen overcrowding in the correctional system, making prison jobs more dangerous.Dwight Village President Bill Wilkey had many strong statements to make that he says don’t even really encompass how disappointing this new ruling is for the people in his community and surrounding area.“He is not thinking of the people of Illinois at all. If he thinks what he is doing is going to save money, it’s going to end up costing them, because they have Menard on lockdown and there’s another prison down south where a guard was attacked and they’re on lockdown, too. It’s just a sad situation,” Wilkey stated. “None of his facts are true. He’s put false facts out on everything, trying to sway people. The guy is all about ‘I.’ With Quinn, there’s no ‘the people.’ It’s frustrating to see that a person like him can exist and be one of our elected officials.”Wilkey continued, further elaborating on his disappointment with the Illinois governor.“I can’t believe (Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives Michael) Madigan sponsored legislation to override Quinn and he turns around and doesn’t call it up for a vote (in the recent fall veto session). I talked to several of the representatives and union people and they thought they had enough votes and then Quinn had his people working the floor, which I thought was illegal,” Wilkey said.His biggest concern is for the employees, who have been living in limbo for ten months, waiting to see the fate of their jobs.“I can’t believe how disappointing this is. This has been going on since February. Can you imagine how these people feel that are on the way to maybe losing their jobs and waiting this long? I don’t know how this guy sleeps at night. He’s got to have no heart at all. I feel so sorry for them, but there’s nothing they can do,” Wilkey lamented. “The union is doing their best and I thought the representatives and lawmakers, for the most part, were doing their best.”Wilkey also pointed out that the Commission for Government Forecast and Accountability overwhelmingly agreed that the prisons should stay open, as did judges when the injunction was first filed. He said the opinion didn’t swing until Quinn himself had arbitrators called in on the case.Anders Lindall, public affairs director for AFSCME Council 31 took the same opinion as Wilkey, but centered more on safety of the public as well as employees at the facilities.“AFSCME members are extremely disappointed in this ruling. The injunction is vital to upholding the union’s right to seek judicial review of an arbitrator’s findings on crucial health and safety concerns. Nonetheless, we intend to vigorously pursue that appeal,” Lindall said. “This ruling doesn't change the fact that closing any prison will worsen severe overcrowding throughout the correctional system, making the remaining prisons more dangerous for employees, inmates and ultimately the public.”The Daily Leader also unsuccessfully reached out to Representative Jason Barickman, who was a strong opponent of the prison closures, as well as Dan Dunlap, president of AFSCME Local #1133, for further comments.